Mark Allen held his nerve to defeat world No. 2 Kyren Wilson 13-9 on Saturday, securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield. The Northern Irishman, who had previously let slip a 5-0 lead in the second-round match, won four of the first six frames in the morning session to upset the 2024 champion.
Allen's Road to the Last Eight
Allen will now face either Barry Hawkins or three-time champion Mark Williams in the quarter-finals. Hawkins currently leads 10-6 in their match, which is set to resume on Saturday evening.
Wilson had mounted a strong comeback, winning six consecutive frames to take a 6-5 lead. The match then turned into a see-saw battle before Allen secured the final two frames on Friday, aided by a break of 140, to edge ahead 9-7. On Saturday morning, Wilson clawed back with a 78 in the opening frame, but Allen responded with breaks of 78 and 61 to go 11-8 up. Despite losing the next frame, Allen held his nerve to progress.
Robertson Stumbles Against Wakelin
In another second-round match, 2010 champion Neil Robertson squandered a 4-1 lead against Chris Wakelin. After losing the opener, Robertson won four frames in a row, but Wakelin, the world No. 13, fought back with a break of 77 to stop the rot and took the final two frames of the morning session to level the match at 4-4.
The biggest contest of the tournament so far is set for the evening session, as John Higgins faces Ronnie O'Sullivan. The two first met in the quarter-finals of the championship in 1996, when both were 20 years old, with O'Sullivan winning a thrilling contest.
